Something This Good
by hpfanatic7
Summary: Will Jackson finally profess his love for April? Will he be able to stop the wedding or will he be too late? Set in S10.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first attempt at a Japril fanfiction. Please review and be brutally honest. Thanks!**

**Btw..sorry for the slow start bit it will definitely pick up in later chapters**

Jackson stirred the red straw in his glass, watching as the amber contents swirled pathetically against the sides. Even his Scotch- neat, just the way he liked it- was too depressed to even be stirred properly.

Jackson sighed as he ran his hands over his head, thinking of the catastrophic day he had had today. It had been a pester-Jackson-with-tons-of-annoying-legal-and-bur eaucratic-matters kind of day and he had been buried in paperwork for the majority of it. He had dealt with one patient today- a fifty-year old man who had reminded him so much of Mark Sloan, his former mentor. When he wasn't making dirty and highly inappropriate jokes, his patient was ordering around and chastising Murphy, the intern who was on Avery's service today, in a very Mark-esque way. The guy even looked like Sloan with a head of grey hair and a chiselled jawline, and was dating a younger, very attractive brunette.

Jackson sighed again as he took another gulp of his Scotch, trying to erase the memory of his patient laughing boisterously as he tried to hook Jackson up with every nurse that walked past the room. Jackson's phone vibrated violently in his pocket and he jumped at the unexpected distraction. Stephanie. Jackson groaned inwardly. He definitely wasn't up for dealing with her right now. Not tonight.

Switching off his phone he signalled to the bartender for another drink.

April

April groaned as she slumped down on the nearest chair in the attending's lounge. It had been a long and exhausting day. She had just finished a surgery on a teenager who had drank bleach and burned through parts of her stomach and oesophagus. Having endured a 4-hour surgery with Karev, who continually made snide remarks about her upcoming nuptials, and an idiotic intern who couldn't stop asking dumb questions, she was more than ready to go home and soak in her tub with a glass of wine.

"Hey April"

April turned around confused. She recognised that voice.

"Libby?! What are you doing here?"

April was more than surprised. Her sisters weren't due to arrive in Seattle for another 2-3 days at least but here was her older sister, standing in the doorway of the attending's lounger like nobody's business.

Libby laughed, flipping her soft brown curls over her shoulder as she walked towards her.

"My little sister is getting married in a week. The question should be why I haven't come sooner. Now get up and give your girl a hug! It's been too long."

April smiled as she embraced her sister. Although she could be bossy and a pain-in-the-ass, it had been ages since she had seen her and she truly missed her. April voiced this sentiment aloud as she let go of Libby.

"I miss you too," her sister replied warmly with a smile. "And you dyed your hair! Oh my God, It looks so amazing!"

April laughed. "I did that ages ago! So what are you doing here so early? I thought you guys weren't coming in until Thursday?"

"I wanted to surprise you. I got the whole week off so I decided to come down here early, see what Seattle's like. Tim's coming in tomorrow morning and we'll be staying in a hotel for the rest of the week. But until then, I need a place to stay... just for the night."

April chuckled. Of course! She was delusional if she thought that Libby came all the way to the hospital to check on her favourite little sis. She needed a place to crash.

"Yeah, yeah. You can stay with me for the ni-"

At that moment her pager went off. _Dammit! _Her patient was coding and she definitely wasn't leaving it up to her less-than-competent intern to do the job.

"Libby, I'm sorry. I've got to go. I have a patient. But here, take my keys and go to my apartment."

She fished a set of spare keys from her bag along with a pen and a piece of paper. She scribbled something on the paper and handed it to her sister together with the house keys.

"Here's the address. Just call a cab and he'll take you there."

And with that, April rushed out the door to go see about her patient.

Jackson

"Woah there!"

The bartender looked with concern as Jackson downed his 6th glass of Scotch. Jackson frowned at him as he put the glass down on the counter with a loud _clink._

"Listen, I know it's none of my business but you should just tell her how you feel –"

"What?" Jackson snapped angrily. He was in no mood for chit-chat and 6 glasses of Scotch did nothing to soften his attitude.

"I've been a bartender for a while. I've seen guys come here and drown themselves in alcohol, crying that they let the love of their lives get away. And I always tell them the same thing- tell her how you feel even if you're scared it won't work out..."

Jackson froze. Those words sounded vaguely familiar. He could remember it like it was yesterday: The beeping of the machines, the ticking of the clocking and the deep, raspy voice of the man who gave him what was probably the most important advice of his life. Advice that he was yet to follow. How weird was it that on a night like tonight, with the patient he had, that this random nosy bartender would say those words to him? Jackson wasn't the type to believe in faith and destiny and the alignment of the stars but he had a feeling that he had to do something. Tonight. Right now.

He fished in his pockets for some change, pulling out a clump of bills. He tossed them onto the counter without checking. He could barely hear the bartender as he rambled on about something. Jackson was no longer listening nor did he really care. All he knew was that he needed to get out of there right now. Grabbing his coat and bag hurriedly, Jackson rushed out of the bar.

April

April slammed her car door shut. She was finally home after a tiring day. All she wanted to do right now was sleep. She hoped that Libby had fallen asleep on the couch or something. God knows she couldn't deal with her incessant chatter tonight.

April let out a shriek as she rounded the corner to her apartment, dropping her bag in fright. There was a man sprawled off on her doorstep, his head against the door, his long legs dangling down the stairs and what looked like a beer bottle clutched in his left hand.

"Jackson?" she said uncertainly, as she walked closer towards the man. It was definitely him; she recognized that bushy beard and those toned arms.

"Jackson!" April repeated, this time in a more concerned tone as she rushed forward. He was clearly drunk: his eyelids were half-closed and he had this pained expression on his face.

"April," he murmured, opening his eyes and looking up at her.

Well, at least he was coherent. He couldn't be that far off.

April bent down, wrapping her arms around his torso as she tried to help him up. Her efforts, however, were futile. He was just too heavy. Leaning against her for support only caused both of them to fall back down on the step.

Jackson giggled and placed his head on her shoulder. April was flabbergasted! She had never seen him this drunk. As long as she had known him, and all the shit they'd been through together, he had always been the cool, level-headed one. While she would spin out he would always be the one to calm her and re-assure her. But now? Now he was giggling and falling down like a complete idiot. April didn't know what to. The best solution at this time was to send him home with a cab.

"Jackson, I think we should – "

"April," he moaned again, pushing himself up to a sitting position while keeping an arm around her shoulder.

"Jackson – "

"I had a patient today," he said, looking at her with sad eyes. "I had this patient and he reminded me of Mark _**so much**_." He emphasised the last two words with a wave of his beer bottle. "He was _**just **_like Mark," Jackson continued, "with the hair and the dirty jokes, ya'know?"

April just nodded meekly, not knowing exactly what to say.

"He came in the ER with these burns and it was simple, you know. I treated him and then I got ready to discharge him. But then he coded and his heart failed and then we brought him to the OR. And then he died on the table. He _**died **_April and it was just so unfair."

"Oh Jackson!" April cried sympathetically.

Jackson made a small whimpering noise that sounded suspiciously close to a sob and buried his face in her shoulders again. April was at a loss. It had been a while since Jackson had confided in her. They used to be best friends: He would divulge his insecurities about living up to the Avery name and she would freak out to him when she had a nightmare about Reed. They would comfort and support each other and help each other deal. But everything had changed. They were no longer what they used to be. They had agreed to put the past and their failed almost-kinda-sorta relationship behind them. They had agreed to be friends. But they had never really returned to the friendship they once had.

April put her shoulders around his broad frame and caressed his back gently. Things had been awkward between them for a really long time: they had hardly talked over the past few months, far less touched or be intimate. But this was her best friend and no matter what she would always be there for him.

Jackson sighed and rested his chin on her shoulder, looking up at her with a forlorn expression. Their faces were dangerously close: April could smell the alcohol on his breath as he exhaled. He smiled up at her. April could feel her stomach churn; her blood began to boil. She suddenly found it hard to breathe. It had been a while since they were so close.

"April-"

"Jackson, I should really take you home-"

"April. I want you, too"

**It's interesting..we've never encountered a drunk Jackson so my writing might be off or OOC. But I wanted it to come off as funny and pathetic. Hope I succeeded. Again..review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for the reviews and follows and favorites. It means so much to me :) (note, this story has a slow build-up but it will be worth it in the end. SO keep reading! )  
**

**Enjoy!**

April's insides turned cold. She felt like someone had inserted a bucket of ice in her stomach and then force-fed her chillies. She was sweating but there were goose bumps running down the length of her arm.

_It was just the alcohol talking_, she thought to herself. _He didn't really mean that. He was drunk and tired and sad. He just-_

"I want you April," Jackson repeated. "I've always-"

"Jackson stop!" April snapped. She shoved Jackson off the step, causing him to stumble over his feet and nearly fall face-first in the bushes. She had no idea where this anger was coming from but she just wanted him gone.

"April? What-"

"No! Just go Jackson! Look I'll call you a cab. Just-just go!"

Jackson gaped at her, looking half as confused as she felt. April had no idea why she was being so mean. There were a ton of emotions waging war in her heart, none of which she was able to identify. This day just needed to be over.

April looked down at her watch. She knew a cab would take too long to arrive and she couldn't stand around with Jackson awkwardly waiting for it to come. Neither could she just lock him outside and make him wait alone.

"I'll drop you home," she said stiffly.

"April.."

At that point, the front door opened. Libby was standing there with her pyjamas on, wearing an expression that was half-annoyed, half-amused.

"I'm trying to get my beauty sleep here which is already pretty difficult on that couch of yours. What's going on? What's with all the shouting? And who is _**this**_?"

She raised her eyebrows appreciatively at Jackson, apparently seeing him for the first time. She looked him up and down, obviously impressed.

"N-nothing," April stammered. She definitely didn't want her sister involved in this mess. "I mean, he's just a friend. And he's just drunk. I was just gonna drive him home."

Libby laughed. "Like hell you are! You're exhausted. You've been working all day. I'll do it."

"Libby! You don't even know where he lives!"

"Well thank God someone invented GPS! Seriously, we'll be okay. I'm not three, I can handle this."

April frowned. This seemed like a really bad idea but in her wearied state she was more than happy to agree.

"Fine," she said, tossing her sister the keys. "Drive safe."

She took one last, awkward glance at Jackson before turning away and heading towards the door.

Jackson moaned. His back ached, his head throbbed and his mouth was extremely dry. Pushing himself up on his elbows he realized that he was lying on the floor covered by a flimsy piece of cloth. He shielded his eyes from the bright glare of the sunlight as he sat up fully.

What had happened last night? He remembered everything up to leaving Joe's bar in a hurry. He remembered going in to a store to get more 'liquid courage' for what he was about to do. After that, anything else came in vague patches: bright red-hair, floral-scented shampoo, steps and a chatty brunette.

Jackson massaged his forehead wearily. Although he couldn't fully piece together the details from the previous night, he knew something bad had to have happened. For one he was sleeping on the floor which either meant that Stephanie was enraged or he was too drunk to make it to the bed. In addition, he had a pain in his left knee (probably from knocking it somewhere) and he reeked of alcohol. And now, judging from the clock in the kitchen, he was late for work.

"Dude, you smell."

Alex Karev plopped down on the seat next to Jackson popping grapes into his mouth from a container that was clearly not his.

Jackson merely grunted in reply, trying to be nonchalant as he sipped his coffee.

"What's up with you?" Karev asked in what almost sounded like a caring tone. "Your intern's holding out on you? Is that why she's been looking pissy all morning? She denies sex and then you go and get bombed by yourself?"

Jackson groaned. He hadn't seen Stephanie for the day and now Karev had answered his question.

"I just want to drink coffee. By myself. In peace. Is that not possible?"

"If you wanted to be alone then why did you come to the attending's lounge?"

The guy had a point.

"Dude whatever," Alex said before he could respond. "I have patients anyway."

He tossed the container on the desk as he turned around to leave, squeezing his last grape and exploding purple juice on to Jackson's lab coat. Jackson rolled his eyes. Karev really knew how to make his day.

Jackson checked his watch. He had arrived to work 2 hours late. He had a pile of paperwork to attend to and had to push back all his surgeries until tomorrow because of his hangover. And to make it worse both Stephanie and April were most likely avoiding him as he hadn't seen them all morning.

He had a feeling this wasn't going to be a good day.

April held a warm cup of tea against her chilly hands. The clock on the wall read 4 a.m. She had been tossing for five hours now, unable to get to sleep. She kept thinking about Jackson and what he had said to her. A part of her, most likely the rational sane part that always seemed to abandon her in times of need, was telling her to forget it. He was drunk and sad and he didn't know what he was saying. But her heart was telling her otherwise. Deep down, she felt like he had meant it.

_Being drunk doesn't make you say things you don't mean,_ she thought. _It lowers your inhibitions and makes you say things you feel but otherwise wouldn't voice._

Did he really mean what he said? Did he- could he really want her?

April lay her forehead on the table. Life was just really confusing.

"Good morning sis!"

April looked up. Libby was standing in the kitchen, fully dressed and rolling her suitcase behind her. Why was her sister up so early? Actually, that was a stupid question. She was a Kepner. All Kepners were morning people. You really had no choice when you spent your whole life on a farm.

"So, I dropped your _**gorgeous **_friend home safely," she said as she walked towards the counter to pour a cup of tea. "I mean he's just sooooo beautiful. Those eyes! Are they blue or green? Or both? Probably turquoise…or more of an aqua really."

April merely grunted. Jackson. She really, really didn't want to talk about Jackson. He was already present in her mind, running unwanted circles through her thoughts.

Libby turned around with a sly smile.

"Well that wasn't enthusiastic. Who was he anyway? What's some gorgeous model doing showing up drunk in the middle of the night at the house of a girl who's getting married this Sunday?"

April kept silent, trying to avoid her sister's gaze as she took another sip.

"Oh c'mon April, just spill already! I know something's up."

April sighed. "Look I really don't wanna talk about it, okay?"

"Oh my gosh, April! Are you having an affair with him?"

April swallowed too much of her tea too fast and scalded her tongue.

"What?! Libby-what? No-God no! It's just complicated and messy and weird and I don't want to talk about it!"

Libby stared at her for a while before taking a seat at the table right in front of her.

"Okay fine. I'll drop it. Let me just say this tough: It's obvious you two have something. I don't know what it is or what it entails but you two have history. And the last thing you want is to be running to marry a guy when you have all this baggage with some other, considerably hotter guy who can show up drunk on your doorstep at any time."

April stared at Libby. "You think I'm rushing into this marriage?"

"I think that you should make sure- absolute sure- that this is what you really, really want before you do this."

April opened her mouth to reply but Libby cut her off with a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go. Tim's flight arrives at 4:30 and I have to go meet him at the airport."

She looked up at April, a somewhat solemn expression on her face. Libby gave April's hand a gentle squeeze- a squeeze that communicated so many unspoken words. With a final kiss on the cheek, Libby left the kitchen, pulling her suitcase behind her.

April looked down at her hand on the table. Was she really rushing into this? Did she really want to marry Matthew? April fiddled with the engagement ring on her finger, a million thoughts swirling through her mind. Finally, she pushed the ring firmly back on her finger. She was going to do this. She was going to marry Matthew. They would have the perfect wedding and go on to live a happy, perfect life.

If only she could stop thinking about Jackson…


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey :) I'm sooooo sorry that I haven't updated sooner. I hope you guys are still interested in reading my work (especially after episode 10x12!). I'm still continuing with my original plan for this story but I'm also going to do a 10x13 and an alternative 10x12 piece, so if you like my work check it out! (when they're out that is)**

**This chapter is actually really important to me and it's something I'd like to see actually happen in the show (not in the same way though..lol) These two have unresolved issues and communication problems that they need to sort out before they can be in a true, honest, awesome relationship. Anyway...read, enjoy and please review!**

Jackson

"Jackson!"

Avery whipped around at the sound of her voice.

"Stephanie! Look I know- "

Edwards marched up to him, her curly hair flying madly around her face. She grabbed his hands and pulled him into the first empty room she could find, slamming the door behind her.

"I know you're mad," Jackson started immediately, "and I'm sorry. I had a bad day yesterday and went to get a drink and I guess I went a little too far."

Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest and gave her meanest don't-give-me-that-crap look. Obviously she was not impressed with Jackson's weak-ass excuse.

"I'm sorry, okay," Jackson said. He was almost pleading now. He just needed to get this embarrassing ordeal behind him. "I'll make it up you. Tonight. I promise. "

He lowered his voice, giving her his best seductive Avery look. It always helped to bail him out in times of need and he sure as hell needed it now. Sure enough, her face softened and a smile played on her lips. He walked up to her, tucking a loose curl behind her ear and leaning in to kiss her on the neck. She giggled as he began to travel upwards, playing with the weak spot behind her ear.

"I'm still mad at you," she said, giving him a small push as she attempted to frown. She winked before she continued, "so you better bring your A-game tonight."

She held him by the neck of his scrubs and pulled him in for a kiss, giving him a small smile before heading out the door.

Jackson sighed. Thank God he dodged that bullet. Now it was time to find April.

April

April leaned against the desk as she inputted her latest patient's status into the database on the tablet. She was just about to press 'Enter' when she heard the voice behind her.

"You've been avoiding me."

April jumped, nearly dropping the tablet on the floor.

_Dammit_, she cursed inwardly. She really didn't want to talk to him right now.

She _**had**_ been avoiding him. She had made sure to keep herself busy all day, spending most of her time in the OR or the ER; avoiding the attending's lounge, the cafeteria... anywhere that she would bump into him and be forced to have this awkward conversation.

She turned around to look up at him and was immediately trapped by his eyes: his blue-greens ones staring intently into her hazels. He raised his eyebrows slightly and she sighed, knowing that he wouldn't let up. Jackson gripped her hand gently and guided her into an empty room, closing the door behind him.

"Look, I don't know what happened last night," he started immediately. "I was drunk and out of it. But you seem pissed so whatever it is I'm sorry. So can we just put all this behind us and move on?"

April pursed her lips, fighting to bite back the words that were threatening to tumble out of her.

"April…"

"It's not that simple," she muttered. April shifted uncomfortably, staring at her feet so that she wouldn't have to look into his eyes. There was a long, awkward pause before he replied.

"What do you mean? What exactly did I do last night?"

"You said you wanted me!" April said loudly. The words came out harshly and there was an unexpected edge to her voice. She chanced a glance at Jackson's face and something in his expression ticked her off. Her words started spilling out of her mouth: fast, hard and peppered with anger.

"You said you wanted me! You show up to my house, drunk as a fish, stumbling on my doorsteps and claiming that you want to be with me. What the hell was that? I am getting _**married**_ on _**Sunday**_! This Sunday! Five days from now! A fact that you know very well. Something that you've never hesitated to remind me about before…"

"April! Stop!"

April clamped her mouth shut, breathing heavily through her nostrils. She began pacing the room, propelled by rage and nervous energy. She didn't know exactly where this anger was coming from. Probably it was Jackson's admission and his crappy timing. Probably it was Libby's words this morning and the realization that she may be rushing this wedding with Matthew. Or probably, after all these months, she was still reeling from Jackson's hurtful words on the night of the storm after her own "I want you" declaration. Whatever the reason, April knew she had to get it off her chest.

She was just about to open her mouth again when Jackson spoke up. He was speaking in a slow, measured voice and April knew that he was selecting his words carefully, most likely afraid of setting her off again.

"Okay. Just calm down, okay? I was drunk. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable but I- "

April let out a short, humourless laugh coloured with scorn. She couldn't help it. _I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable? _Really?

"Well where have we heard that before?" she said nastily. They were very similar to the words she had said to him on the night of the storm, when he was snapping at her constantly for what seemed like no reason at all.

Jackson raised his eyebrows slightly. He had remembered it too.

"It's not the same," he said stiffly.

April gave another laugh. "Really? And how exactly is this any different?"

Jackson seemed to be affected by April's snide tone because his next words were biting.

"Because I didn't profess some delusional love for you 5 minutes after I promised to be someone else's fiancée!"

April's eyebrows shot up quickly and so high that they got lost in the curls that fell over her forehead.

"You are SUCH an ass! You chastised me for being wish-washy, for being a coward and then you go and do the exact same thing! Drunk or not, you said those words. And now you're trying to cover it up, trying to pretend it never happened. You're a hypocrite Jackson!"

Jackson laughed bitterly. "Oh, well you're the queen of pretending things never happened! I failed my boards? Let's not talk about it. I lost my virginity to Jackson? I'm going to re-virginize and pretend our relationship never happened!"

"Relationship? Oh, you mean that time we used to have sex in on-call rooms and you proposed to me when you thought I was pregnant? That relationship?"

Jackson stepped back, somewhat stunned. He was visibly hurt but April didn't care. Her words were spewing out like poisonous venom. She had no idea that she had been harbouring all this inside.

"Or that time you said "I have feelings" and then broke up with me one week after because, what? I was relieved that we weren't forced to have a shot-gun wedding? You tell me to wait for you at Joes's to talk and then you never show up and you never call? You gave me nothing! No indication that I was supposed to think that it wasn't just sex, to believe that we were in a real relationship. What was I supposed to think Jackson? I broke my promise to Jesus and all I got from it was a pregnancy scare and more broken promises."

She was shouting now, almost overcome by rage. Apparently, her anger was contagious because now Jackson's voice began to rise.

"What, you think I wasn't messed up too? I had sex with my best friend and then she tells me that she feels terrible and that she crushed her relationship with Jesus. And then you fail your boards. And then you got fired. And I felt sick because I was leaving for Tulane and I was going to leave you in the mess that I created. Have you ever considered what was going through _**my**_ head? How _**I**_ felt about it? How crappy I must have felt at that time?"

It was April's turn to be surprised. She had never guessed that he had felt this way, that he had kept it all bundled inside.

"How was I supposed to feel? Did you ever consider that? Of course not! Instead you're just going on about everything: blaming me for taking your virginity, guilt-tripping me with all your talk about disappointing Jesus and acting as though I shouldn't have any feelings about anything because I'm just some douche who just cares about sex! When the truth is you only thought about yourself!"

April was about to respond with an angry retort when the door burst open.

"Hey, hey! What the hell's going on inside here? We can you hear you guys shouting from a mile away!"

Callie looked from Jackson to April as they both glared intensely at each other. Jackson stormed out of the room quickly, knocking over a chair in the process. Callie gave April a small glance before she exited the room herself, closing the door behind her.

April sat down, her anger quickly ebbing away. Was she really that selfish? Had she been so wrapped up in her bubble of Jesus and her virginity that she never saw how much Jackson was hurt? How much he was affected by everything? She immediately felt horrible for all the things she had said to him. She wanted to run to him right now and apologize profusely. But she knew that he wouldn't want to hear a word of it. His facial expression alone was proof of that.

April sighed. With all this drama in her life, how the hell was she supposed to prepare for a wedding?


	4. Chapter 4

**4th chapter. It's pretty short but it serves it's purpose ;) Read and review!  
**

Jackson

"_You're a hypocrite Jackson!"_

"_Oh, you mean that time we used to have sex in on-call rooms and you proposed to me when you thought I was pregnant?"_

"_You gave me nothing!"_

"_I broke my promise to Jesus and all I got from it was a pregnancy scare and more broken promises!"_

The words bounced around his head in that high, shrill voice April got when she was exceptionally angry. She was right, of course. He gave her nothing. He was a coward. He never chased after her when she went to Moline. He never took her on dates or made her feel special. He was a lousy excuse for a friend and an even worse sex friend/boyfriend/whatever the hell they were.

It wasn't until Jackson nearly tripped over a crack in the pavement that he realised he was still walking. He stopped, feeling confused. What was he doing? Had he _**planned**_ to walk home? It seemed absurd as his apartment was a good 6 miles away from the hospital. Jackson sighed as he felt the early signs of a headache beating against his temple. He needed a drink.

As if on cue, a door to the left of him swung open and a couple of drunk college girls stumbled out, each clinging to the other for support. Upon seeing Jackson, two of them began to giggle and stepped towards him eagerly. Jackson quickly side-stepped them and shot through the open door. The bar was small and cozy and was lit dimly by light bulbs that dangled from the ceiling. He immediately sat towards the far left of the counter, trying to hide in the shadows. It wasn't Joe's bar so it was very unlikely that he'd run into his fellow co-workers but he still wanted to avoid any chit-chat from some friendly stranger. Thankfully, the bartender was a quiet no-nonsense woman with close-cropped hair who had no interest in giving him generic love advice.

Three glasses of Scotch later Jackson was walking out the door and into the cab that he had called from the bar. He wasn't drunk but his head had stopped buzzing with April's voice. Instead, it was just blank; void of an emotion whatsoever.

Five minutes later, the cab pulled up to his apartment. As he exited the vehicle, he got this weird feeling that he was forgetting something. He double-checked his pocket to see if he had forgotten his wallet or his phone at the bar. It wasn't until he opened his front door and stepped in the kitchen that he remembered.

Stephanie was sitting on the kitchen counter, staring out the window with her arms folded.

_Crap._

"Stephanie – " he started immediately.

"Jackson."

Jackson shut his mouth quickly. He was truly frightened now. He had seen her mad before but now she was past that. Her voice was eerily calm and when she turned around, her expression was stone-cold.

"Do you want to be with me Jackson? Be honest. Do you see this going anywhere?"

Jackson opened his mouth pathetically. He was at a loss for words.

"Things were fun when we just started and I got that. But then I met your mother and things started to get serious. I mean, I basically live at your apartment. But now, we're back to you standing me up and not having enough time for me."

"Stephanie – "

"I'm not done," she said tersely. "I think that I deserve better than this. No, I _**know**_ I deserve better than this. And I shouldn't have to beg you to care about this relationship."

She looked up at him with a solemn expression.

"So I guess what I'm saying is… it's over. Unless you can prove to me that I'm wrong; that you showing up drunk and late isn't a sign that you don't give a crap. And you'll have to do a whole lot to convince me."

She got up from her stool and walked towards him slowly. At that point, Jackson was stunned into silence. What was happening right now?

"Goodbye Jackson," she whispered softly, kissing him on his cheek. Jackson stood frozen to the spot as he heard the front door close. Did she really just break up with him?

This was definitely not a good day.


End file.
